Chapter 15: First Battle

The next day.

Bai Qi rubbed his sleepy eyes, gazing at the sun that was already rising to its zenith, and then reluctantly got up from the bed.

Although he had the support of the nutrient solution, Bai Qi's physical recovery speed was able to keep up with the demand of the Evolution Egg, but after repeated use, he was still a bit tired, so Bai Qi simply moved it all into the bedroom for his convenience.

Evolving, taking in supplements, designing blueprints, and then evolving again, taking in more supplements...

He spent the previous night in this cycle until he finally went to sleep in the early morning.

"I should go out to find something to eat, and then head to the training site."

After consuming six to seven bottles of nutrient solution overnight, Bai Qi wasn't really hungry, but having an empty stomach felt strange. So he decided to have something quickly and head straight to the Beast Master Association.

He had evolved Alpha six times the previous night and there was still plenty of accumulated energy that hadn't been fully absorbed, so Bai Qi decided to find another trainer to help.

Why not do it himself? You may ask.

Bai Qi indeed tried, but after his hands went numb due to Alpha's steel skeleton, he directly gave up.

Who would've thought that an actively used skill like Skeletal Hardening would turn into a passive skill after upgrading to Steel Skeleton?

Although it hadn't reached the strength of steel, it wasn't something Bai Qi's small body could handle.

Bai Qi arrived at the Beast Master Association, and this time he was received by another receptionist.

"I'm sorry, the training field of the Undead Department is fully booked for today."

"Can't I join in anywhere?"

"There's no place available."

Apologizing somewhat reluctantly, the receptionist added, "If you want to train your pet beast, I recommend you try the combat arena; the effect isn't bad either."

"Combat arena?"

Bai Qi hesitated for a while, and asked, "The opponents in the combat arena are all of the same level, right?"

The receptionist nodded and reassured him: "You can rest assured. The opponent's level will not exceed one level difference. There won't be a situation where your opponent completely trumps you."

Ah, but what I want is to be completely trounced.

He mostly came here to use Bone-breaking Reformation combined with the Black Iron Egg to quickly enhance Alpha's physical strength. If he's paired with similar level opponents, the efficiency would decrease a lot.

However, it seems that there aren't any other options available at the moment, and real combat is indeed the main focus of professional Beast Masters.

"Then could you arrange a match for me?"

The receptionist smiled slightly and asked, "Do you have any specific opponents in mind? If not, we can randomly match you up."

"Randomly will be fine."

"Great, please pay the fee first, and then wait for your number."

"Another charge... Thankfully, it's slighter cheaper than training."

Bai Qi paid the fee somewhat reluctantly, took the number plate, and went to the adjacent combat zone to wait.

Aside from the dojo, the Beast Masters Association is the only place that offers the battlefield, so there are quite a few people here.

Although this official venue doesn't allow any form of gambling, watching others' battles is also a means of accumulating combat experience, so the majority here are apprentice Beast Masters.

The efficiency of the association is quite high. About ten minutes later, Bai Qi heard his number called and promptly followed the system's directions to the combat arena.

When Bai Qi arrived at the combat arena, the referee was already waiting inside.

The referee, who had just dispatched a group of contestants, was checking the information of the next group. Seeing Bai Qi appear, he said, "Hello, your opponent hasn't arrived yet. Please wait a little."

"Alright."

Bai Qi nodded his head and proceeded to his position under the referee's guidance.

This combat zone is broadcasted in real-time to the public, so the cameras installed everywhere will present every move of the beast and its master to the audience outside in high definition.

Soon, Bai Qi's opponent arrived—a burly man with a full beard.

Bai Qi examined his opponent and looked at the referee with some confusion.

Wasn't it said that the level difference shouldn't be more than one level? Are you sure this guy's pet hasn't reached the First Stage yet?

The referee cleared his throat and asked, "You two are Bai Qi and Shi Yong, right?"

Bai Qi nodded his head and extended his hand towards the burly man, stating, "Hello, I'm Bai Qi."

The burly man took Bai Qi's hand in his own, giving it a firm shake, and replied, "Hello, my name's Shi Yong, I'm eighteen years old, I like..."

What a mature-looking eighteen-year-old!

Bai Qi sarcastically thought to himself, forcibly pulling his hand back and looking at the vivid fingerprints on it. He looked at Shi Yong with more suspicion.

This guy, he's underreported his age by ten years, hasn't he?

And those overly developed muscles... does this guy train with his pet beast?

"This combat match will be free fighting. It will end when either beast loses their combat abilities. The time limit is half an hour."

The referee discreetly coughed twice, signaled for both of them to return to their positions, and started to explain the rules of combat.

"Ahem, if there are no problems, we will be ready to start."

Normally speaking, battles between apprentice Beast Masters generally end very quickly. After all, none is particularly proficient in conserving their energy value and most times, one side would admit defeat after running out of energy.

Both of them nodded their heads and activated their Beast Control Spaces. Two transparent arrays slowly began to take shape in the middle of the field.

The speed at which a Beast Master can summon a beast is directly proportional to the Beast Master's spirit power. In their case, it's alright to do a slow summon, but if this were to happen on the wild battlefield, your opponent wouldn't be willing to wait for your slow summons.

Even in the past, before the establishment of the Federation, assassinations of Beast Masters using sniper rifles were reported. It wasn't until the Federation was established that the corresponding laws were introduced to prevent non-military Beast Masters from using such long-range weapons.

Finally, the summoning formations took shape, and a humanoid beast with the head of a frog and two pairs of arms, almost two meters tall, crawled out from Shi Yong's formation.

Like his owner, this beast was full of muscles. Just by sight, you could tell that it was quite powerful.

[Name]: Braced Frog

[Race]: Combat System

[Bloodline Level]: High-grade Elite

[Racial Skills]: Blast Punch, Powerful Grapple, Double Kick

As soon as the Braced Frog entered the fray, the spectators who originally still had excitement in them instantly lost interest, waiting for the next match to begin.

After the appearance of the Braced Frog, Alpha also crawled out from the formation. Its petite figure, which was originally only half a human height, was made to seem even smaller compared to the Braced Frog.

They had every reason to believe that the Braced Frog would end the match in an instant.

Looking at that delicate skeleton, they wondered if it would break just from the Braced Frog's pinch.